“Overnight”: Six Questions for John Yau
Born in 1950 in Lynn, Massachusetts, John Yau is not only a celebrated poet, but he is also a curator and art critic. Traces of his art background can be seen in his unique use of language in such collections as Borrowed Love Poems, Radiant Silhouette, and Further Adventures in Monochrome. His poem “Overnight” appeared in the 2021 edition of Best American Poetry, and it captures his unique mix of humor, imagination, and emotional depth.
When reading “Overnight,” what stuck with me most was the repetition of lines, as if the speaker is caught looping in and out of a dream, a shifting state of mind.
Yau’s latest collection is Diary of Small Discontents: New & Selected Poetry 1974-2024.
I read that you enjoy cooking. Has that hobby found its way into one of your poems?
One of things about cooking that I like is that when you are finished, you have something you and others can enjoy. The great thing about a recipe is that if you follow it, you will be successful. There are no recipes for poetry. I like to cook for many reasons, one of which is that I will be able to eat something delicious. Poetry is much more iffy.
“Overnight” is a pantoum. Why did you select this particular form?
Paul Violi, the person I dedicated the poem to, had recently died. A pantoum uses every line twice, which I thought was appropriate to the situation—a man who is dying. Repeating something could signal hesitation, among other things.
In the poem, the mood, as your reader would expect, is heavy, and yet it’s also playful. Can you explain why you included this sense of playfulness when writing about loss?
Paul was a poet and a friend. He was older than I was and was kind to me when I was a young poet trying to make my way in New York. He had a wonderful sense of humor, ranging from deadpan to ironic. I wanted to honor that in my poem.
What did you intend to convey as the most important theme?
We don’t experience death. Someone else does. Memories change over time. They can come to us unexpectedly and they can fade.
Which poets have influenced you the most? Or is there anyone outside the world of poetry that has influenced you?
Many poets have influenced me, from Robert Kelly and John Ashbery, who were my teachers. In both cases, I read their poetry and applied to the schools where they taught and was lucky enough to be accepted. I am influenced by many contemporary artists .
In our class, we are reading articles about the current state of poetry in America. What is your stance on MFA programs and their impact on poetry?
I have never taught in an MFA program, but I did get an MFA from Brooklyn College, where I studied with John Ashbery. He changed my life.